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Okay, I'll play along. You live inland ? Then high winds in the summer unlikely to be much of an issue right ? So forget about taking a vent to the field. So ... SUL, UL and STD. Personally a true SUL is kinda of a drag too ... if there aint really enough wind ... then there aint and its not going to be much fun is it ? But thats just me ... and the conclusion I've come to.

I think I'm going to use the speed bag a lot too, this summer. I'm thinking Deep Space, Exile and Nirvana std.

Dave, I think thats a NICE variety - all 3 different styles of flying that cover a nice wind range.

Exile and Nirvana are sweet kites. I borrowed a DS for some time (thanks Steve), and liked it - but I was to infatuated with the Exile at the time to give it proper attention. I would like to try one again sometime, I really liked its faster-paced free-flowing style.

Not too long ago, I got my hands on the proto #1 of the V2, which would eventually become the Rsky Diablis. I just love this kite. The V2 in good meaty wind (+8mph) is the best kite in my bag. Cometes, JLs, snap multi-lazies, yofades, and backspin cascades all happen in these higher winds with ease. Furthermore, many of these tricks look better on the V2 than on any other kite I have in the bag. BS cascades are just divine, for example...flat as a dinner plate. JLs can be done with lightning speed. Slot machines need more slack than on the Cosmic, and the taz machine is less accessable...but these are minimal trade-offs. A fantastic kite.

2. Kitehouse Cosmic Ghost

The Cosmic is a great kite. I have gotten over the fade-to-flare problem almost completely and can flic flac these kites pretty consistently (after the last VF round...seeing Piero do it put me on a mission). And the trade off for learning this one fussy move is the ease with which they do nearly everything else. I will fly the standard Cosmic in lower winds than the V2...but we are talking THREE kites. The Ghost makes the cut then, and the standard Cosmic loses to the V2. The Ghost is tasty even up to 6-8mph when it starts to feel just a tad over-powered...as long as you take it easy on the aggressive landings.

3. Kitehouse Sissy

The last spot was tough. I have to say, I have been flying the Kitehouse Sissy ALOT. The Cosmic Ghost needs SOMETHING to fly in...the Sissy doesn't. I used to leave the field when the Ghost didn't want to fly. Now I don't. This is a small kite, framed light as a feather, and yet it can trick. And it tricks in ZERO wind. For real. 360's while walking. Not almost zero. Zero. And the crazy thing is that it's best tricks are the taz machine and reversing multilazies! This kite is also ideal for those crowded parks and beaches, as it is great on short lines (even 10m). The bonus to this kite is that you can quickly adjust to fly in any direction: Should a brief breath of wind show up from an unexpected direction, you can just pivot to take advantage of it. This disadvantage (if there is one) is that you'll be ruined for the first bit when the wind returns and you put up a full-sized sail, as every input seems impossibly huge at first.

obi

Logged

"When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return." L daVinci

If I'm stepping out into unknown or known-to-be-variable conditions I'll take a UL, a Light-of-Standard, a Standard and a selection of lines and airbrakes. That way I'll have something to fly in everything from there's wind ? to Auntie Em, where's Toto? Its a twister! Its a twister! What those kites will be depends on.... all manner of stuff.

If I have a good idea of what the winds will be then I'll choose 3 kites that fit that wind, probably looking for a bit of variety in flying style from a comp. kite to full-on trickster.

However... the difference in trouble between my 10~11 kite roll and a 3 kite selection means I'll probably never be taking just 3 kites. Sorry for interrupting the thread.

Living inland high wind days are rare, as mentioned above. And I think it would be pretty easy to pack for what to expect, especially for a regular trip to the local field. So yeah, if "auntie Em" came a callin' you could just throw in a rev a vent, or a good book. Your choice.

Seems if I just take a few kites I always wish I had one i left at home. But if I take a large bag I'll fly one all day.... *sigh*

Lately I've been flying the Prophecy a lot and my current SUL, a PBSK AerZero, lives in the Proph bag too. Those two cover a 1-15 range quite nicely. If I was expecting to fly in strong wind a lot, I'd pack the Rev vent and be loaded for bear.

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